An early interest with cars and technology led Marco Serna, ‘24, to explore the field of engineering and eventually a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the College of Engineering and Sciences at Purdue University Northwest (PNW).
Serna started his college career at PNW as a Mechanical Engineering major. But after an introductory course in linear circuits, he decided to switch his major to Electrical Engineering. “I found I liked the electrical engineering class much more than any of the mechanical engineering courses,” says Serna. “I’m glad I found out early on.” He was able to narrow down his field of interest even further to the automation and controls subfield after an elective class in industrial automation.
During his time at PNW, Serna was a member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch and founding secretary of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN), the honor society of IEEE. He was also the recipient of the 2021-2022 NIPSCO Endowed Scholarship.
The Highland native participated in three internships during his time at PNW, which he believes gave him a well-rounded educational experience. He was able to take the theoretical knowledge he gained in the classroom and put it to use in real world applications during his internships. In addition, Serna’s internship experiences reinforced his interest in the electrical engineering field.
One of the internships Serna participated in was at Concentric Integration, where he spent the summer as a full-time intern. That internship turned into a part-time position as an on-call intern. After graduation, he is hoping to move to full-time employment with the company as he works towards getting his licensure. In the future, he would like to continue working with municipalities where he can see the end result of his work and the benefit to the communities.
Why did you choose to attend PNW?
“I’ve always heard about PNW. I knew someone who graduated from here and has done really well and that kind of inspired me to come here. In high school I participated in a program that allowed me to take a couple of classes here. I liked my experience and was able to earn college credit. It’s also close to home – that was also a plus.”
What did you like most about PNW?
“The smaller classes are the biggest benefit.”
What did you like about the Electrical Engineering program at PNW?
“The core classes were very helpful and the hands-on classes helped solidify my decision to stay in the program. The elective classes were very useful in helping me narrow down my interests, from a broad field like electrical engineering to more specific sub-fields.”
How do you think your involvement in campus organizations and activities helped define your success at PNW?
“Figuring out how to manage my time was one of the biggest skill sets I learned. Working with a lot of different people will definitely help me going forward. Also, learning to accept that I can’t be in control of everything, that I need to be able to delegate some things and let others go.”
Did you have a pivotal experience while attending PNW?
“Taking a class on electrical drives, I realized it’s the field I want to be in. That class and lab helped me narrow down what I want to do in the electrical engineering field. “
What words of advice would you share with prospective students looking to attend PNW?
“Expand your horizons. Be exploratory with classes, or labs, in subjects you might not be sure about.”
Was there anyone at PNW who inspired or encouraged you along the way?
Lizhe Tan
Department Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
“Lizhe Tan was my senior design advisor. He’s a really good professor, knowledgeable and helpful. He always seems to have the answers.”
Arash Asrari
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
“Professor Asrari was nothing but helpful every time I had questions or asked for help or advice. I’ve enjoyed his classes very much.”
